In this episode of GCMA Insights on Golf Club Talk UK, Leighton Walker is joined by Tom Brooke, Ben Driver, and Scott Clark to consider what makes a successful leader
What can make a good manager great? How can an effective leader create a team culture throughout the club?
In the latest episode of GCMA Insights on Golf Club Talk UK, host Leighton Walker is joined by GCMA Chief Executive Tom Brooke, Royal Blackheath CEO Ben Driver, and Woking Managing Director Scott Clark to discuss personal development and leadership skills.
Following the refreshing of the Advanced Management Programme Leadership Award, a three-day residential programme exploring the challenges of leading and working with people within the unique environment of a golf club, the quartet delved into:
- Why understanding yourself is key in becoming a successful leader
- How leadership styles evolve over time
- How the leadership journey never stops
- How the more you continually invest in yourself, the more you can progress
Brooke said: “I feel it’s the area of education and professional development in the golf industry that probably gets the least amount of attention – and in my opinion it probably deserves, and needs, the most.
“In a lot of cases, it can be the difference between a good manager and a really great manager. You can really see the difference for those who have really invested in their own development as a leader.”
He added: “This transitions across clubs of all types. You’re really able to understand the difference between managing and leading and how to lead effectively and that can have a hugely positive impact on you as an individual and your club and your team around you. It’s an area of development we’re looking to encourage so many more people to take part in.”
Looking at his own development as a leader, Driver said: “One of the biggest learnings was [I was] viewing mentorship, coaching and leadership as knowing the right answer. ‘If I know the right answer, and someone comes to me with a problem, I can give them the answer, I’ll be a great leader and a great manager’.
“But there was such a huge shift in my mindset and perceptions as to what leadership is after working on this. I thought, ‘if I work hard enough and gain enough knowledge then I’ll be fine’. I started to understand that you have to understand yourself and have such self-awareness before you can even try to lead anybody else, or a team, or create that culture within a membership as well.”
Clark stressed that understanding your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader was pivotal in being able to see that in others.
He explained: “At a young age, you get your first role and you’re thrust into the role of leadership. You have to think, ‘well, what does that look like? Do I have to become something I’m not?’
“The answer is no. One of the things I found through Insights and 360 is you have to discover yourself and you have to understand yourself and where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
“We know, as managers, that the people within really are your success or failure – because they can only be as strong as you are, if they’re directed in the right way, if they’re led in the right way and, more importantly, if they’re nurtured in the right way.
“Once you actually understand where your own strengths or skill sets lie with people, it’s then understanding how to get the best from people. What are their traits? What are their personalities like?”
To listen to the full episode of GCMA Insights on Golf Club Talk UK, use the podcast player below or click the link here.
Get involved…
The GCMA has refreshed the Advanced Management Programme Leadership Award – introducing an updated programme providing Golf Club Managers with a high-quality immersive learning and personal development experience.
Designed and delivered by specialist training provider Progrezo, the three-day residential programme sees delegates examine a range of topics including leadership styles, performance management, coaching and feedback, emotional intelligence, difficult conversations and stakeholder influence, while also developing a personalised plan for professional growth.
The next course is hosted at Moor Park Golf Club, from October 6 to 8. Click here to learn more or download the full Leading and Managing People brochure.
